Foodies Unite!

[Fully]

@Fully - I've been following it for a while.  I like it -but I sure do wish he'd buy some new plates!

Too funny ;D .  Do you know why his wife always eats in bed? It reads like she's an invalid or incredibly pampered. I'm not sure which.

[Ruckus]

So freakin' pissed (ok, well, as pissed as I get about TV) that Ed was told to pack his knives and go on Top Chef!  IMO, that was totaly bullshit and politics since Michelle Bernstein has been on Top Chef many times as a judge.

My stance is not influenced by Ed being from Louisville or because I find him incredibly hot.   :o

Good to know because I've been told I look like Edward Lee  8) (but not as hot).  I was really bummed he got knocked out to0 lucy.  I don't know the reasons why he did but I too am a Michelle Berstein hater.  She just rubs me the wrong way. 

In better news, we got reservations at 610 Magnolia for the evening before Forecastle commencement.  Really looking forward to it and meeting my doppelganger if possible.

[ALady]

@Fully - I've been following it for a while.  I like it -but I sure do wish he'd buy some new plates!

Too funny ;D .  Do you know why his wife always eats in bed? It reads like she's an invalid or incredibly pampered. I'm not sure which.

Heh.  My guess is it's because they both keep pretty odd hours, but I'd call it pampering too!

(I know her a little...long story.)

[lucylew]

So freakin' pissed (ok, well, as pissed as I get about TV) that Ed was told to pack his knives and go on Top Chef!  IMO, that was totaly bullshit and politics since Michelle Bernstein has been on Top Chef many times as a judge.

My stance is not influenced by Ed being from Louisville or because I find him incredibly hot.   :o

Good to know because I've been told I look like Edward Lee  8) (but not as hot).  I was really bummed he got knocked out to0 lucy.  I don't know the reasons why he did but I too am a Michelle Berstein hater.  She just rubs me the wrong way. 

In better news, we got reservations at 610 Magnolia for the evening before Forecastle commencement.  Really looking forward to it and meeting my doppelganger if possible.

Nice - on both accounts!   ;D  I'm going to try to get reservations whilst we are in town as well.

[mjk73]

Tomorrow is my annual hog butchering weekend! Some pics will follow sometime this weekend. I'll try to keep the gore to a min

[Fully]

Tomorrow is my annual hog butchering weekend! Some pics will follow sometime this weekend. I'll try to keep the gore to a min

I would prefer it if you kept the gore on maximum. I'm just weird like that. Also, make some chicharones! That's probably not the way to spell it. Fried pork rinds then.

[mjk73]

Tomorrow is my annual hog butchering weekend! Some pics will follow sometime this weekend. I'll try to keep the gore to a min

I would prefer it if you kept the gore on maximum. I'm just weird like that. Also, make some chicharones! That's probably not the way to spell it. Fried pork rinds then.

I'm pretty sure the chicharone would gross the shit out of the country folk I butcher with (I love chicharone). I need to remember to walk out of there with the liver. A friend is going to make a batch of some version of boudin with it. Thankfully today isn't the shoot, skin, and gut day. In the almost 15 years I've done this I've gone once for that. I almost become vegan after that day. Thankfully today will just look like the back cover to FNM's Angel Dust

[aMillionDreams]

You better use every part of that fine animal.  I'd actually be interested to try homemade head cheese.  And making pork stock is a must!

[mjk73]

Done and fucking exhausted as usual. Boneless and bone in chops, "green" bacon (uncured for those that do not know), pork shoulder, some seriously bad ass looking ham steaks, lean ground pork so we can do our own small batches of different sausage, all the hocks, several solid roasts, the tenderloins, a massive hunk of pork belly that one of the other guys didn't want, so nice soup bones for stock, and some other stuff here and there. Kept the liver for the boudin. Refused the rest of the organs as I just can't eat that stuff. Unlike everyone else in this area, I refuse to get pork steaks. Why waste the shoulder on steaks when I can smoke it for pulled pork.

Oh and ribs. Glorious glorious ribs.

[mjk73]

Just a few pics. This isn't even close to everything

[Ruckus]

boner

[mjk73]

That mess of bacon is only half of the haul. We pretty much scraped every little bit of edible meat off the bones this time. An old timer, and old he was 80's and his Germanish accent so thick I couldn't understand him, took all the fat to render down for soap and lard.

Can't wait to start diving into this. 'cept now we have a side of beef and a hog in our deep freeze. Better fire up the grill. Anyone here for the 4th will prolly get beef short ribs and the Fred Flintstone slab of pork ribs shoved in their face for food

[ALady]

Wooooooow.  That looks amazing, mjk!

[lucylew]

I have a new favorite food - mapo dofu!  I think I could eat it every day for a month!

[Fully]

I have a new favorite food - mapo dofu!  I think I could eat it every day for a month!

I had to google it to figure out what it is, but it sounds very good.

[Ruckus]

I have a new favorite food - mapo dofu!  I think I could eat it every day for a month!

I had to google it to figure out what it is, but it sounds very good.

I love it!  I probably haven't had it in over a decade.  My mother, who typically didn't eat or cook too much Chinese influenced dishes, loved mapo dofu.  I know you can find it on many Japanese restaurant menus as well as it was favorably adopted.  I love spicy sichuan cooking though my exposure to authentic stuff has been very little.

[lucylew]

Made this recipe for dinner after contemplating it for a couple of weeks.  Wow!  It is soooo much more than a sum of its parts - it is amazing.  I wanted to eat the whole damn thing myself.  (I didn't though  :o )

Maria Speck's Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust
Make one 10-inch tart
Recipe from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

Crust:
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups polenta
1/2 cup (about 2.5 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring the broth and water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the salt. Slowly add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Decrease the heat to low and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every few minutes to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Stir in the cheese, egg and pepper.

2. Grease a 10-inch tart pan or cake pan with olive oil. Have a glass of cold water ready. Spoon the polenta into the pan and press it out, pushing it up the sides. Dip a wooden spoon or your hands in the cold water to help the polenta along. Set aside for 15 minutes and then form an even rim about 3/4 of an inch thick with moist fingers, pressing firmly. Don't worry if the crust looks rustic.

3. Put a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 F.

Artichoke filling:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces artichoke hearts, canned or frozen
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Whisk the yogurt, eggs, scallions, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper together until well-combined. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters and distribute them evenly over the polenta crust. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top of the artichokes and pour the yogurt filling evenly over the artichokes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake the tart until the top turns golden brown and the filling is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes, though 40 is better. The tart can be prepared up to one day ahead

[ALady]

Uhhhhhhh.   :o

bluesky needs to see this.

[bluesky]

sounds like an amazing crazy ass artichoke cheese pie!

[Ruckus]

Sounds great Lucy!  I don't bake much except for a cookie here and a quiche there but I'm not sure I've eaten a polenta crust before.